For those of you old enough to remember, ‘Spinal Tap’ was a cult hit in the 1980’s and was the first time I ever heard the term ‘mockumentary’. That’s where a comedy is filmed in a documentary format, yet lampoons its’ subject matter. ‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’ is SNL alumni Adam Samberg’s modern take on the music scene today and a fine addition to the mockumentary genre. He mirror’s ‘Spinal Tap’s’ format and wit, but in his own voice and with humor uniquely his. I won’t say that this film will be a game changer the way ‘Spinal Tap’ was, but it was immensely enjoyable and cleverly insightful. I went in with low expectations, yet thoroughly enjoyed myself.
The plot is something we have seen played out in real life many times. When former boy band member, Conner4real’s (Adam Samberg) solo album tanks, his once high living life goes into a downward tailspin. He is willing to do anything that it takes to regain his previous status except reunite with his former Twisty Boyz band. Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer play Owen and Lawerence, Conner4real’s left behind band mates. In real life there is a similar dynamic where the three are part of a SNL writing trio that brought us so many great digital shorts. Where Adam Samberg is becoming a household name, these two are still relatively unknown. It was fun to see the superimposition.
The film is littered with SNL and musician cameos and characters. Veteran utility player Tim Robbins plays their manager Harry. He lives a good life, but still reminisces about his failed band, Tony!, Toné!, Toni! Tonee?. In retrospect, he muses, the question mark after the last ‘Tonee’ was a mistake. Sarah Silverman plays Conner’s publicist Paula, who explains that Conner4real is everywhere like oxygen, gravity, and clinical depression. The list goes on of former SNL alumni cameos, each contributing their clever takes on how they are part of Coneer4real’s posse. The interviews with real life musicians on how Conner4real influenced their music were hilarious as much for the seriousness in how they said it as for the inanity of what they said. Much like Spinal Tap, even while we are laughing, we are also sympathizing with Conner4real as Adam does a good job instilling heart into Conner4real’s collapse from the spotlight.
Similar to ‘Spinal Tap’, the film is a series of sketches pasted together to tell the story. Some worked better than others, but the overall effort was a thoroughly enjoyable one. One sees many fallen or soon to fall stars in Conner4real, but Adam seemed to be channeling Justin Beiber more than anyone else (maybe that’s just my bias). It took me several scenes to recognize Justin Timberlake as Conner4real’s personal chef. Ironic that Justin Timberlake seems to be one of the few former boy band alumni to emerge with a career intact. His part wasn’t that humorous, but the realization that it was him made it all the more enjoyable.
There are too many scenes to comment on. I could go on and on about Conner4real’s up coming rival Hunter (played by a hilarious Chris Redd) or describe the penis signing scene, which is one of the funniest moments in the film, but there is only so much space. Suffice it to say that this is a worthy successor to the ‘Spinal Tap’ tradition as well as a cautionary tale of fame altering what is important. It is silly and extreme at times, but never loses its’ heart. If you like Adam Samberg and his Digital Shorts on SNL, then you will love this film. You don’t have to rush to the theater to see it, but definitely put it in your movie queue when it is released on DVD. Great job to Adam Samberg, Judd Apatow, and team.
I give this film *** stars
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